The Edo State Police Command said it has arrested 95 suspects in connection with renewed cult clashes that have claimed several lives in the past two weeks.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Moses Yamu, in a statement on Saturday said 64 of the suspects have already been charged to court and remanded in custody, while investigations are ongoing for the remaining 31.
Yamu revealed that the raids, carried out in Benin City and its environs, also led to the recovery of firearms.
The arrested suspects are said to be members of the Maphites, Eiye, and Aye confraternities, who have been engaging in violent supremacy battles.
“The Edo State Police Command has arrested 95 suspected cultists and recovered two locally made pistols, one single-barrel shotgun, and 24 live cartridges in sustained intelligence-driven raids of their enclaves in Benin and surrounding areas over the past week.
“These suspects, who belong to the notorious Maphites, Eiye, and Aye confraternities, are believed to be behind the recent cult-related killings in the state.
“Sixty-four of the suspects have been charged to court and remanded, while investigations continue on the remaining suspects,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Monday Agbonika, has urged parents and guardians to monitor the activities of their wards closely to curb the rising menace of cultism.
He also warned youths in the state to shun cultism and other unlawful groups, stressing that such affiliations could destroy their future or lead to the loss of innocent lives.